FIRST REISSUE EVER, ON ANY FORMAT of this sought after collectors’ album of Southern Soul and pop gospel. Wolfmoon, aka Little Tommy, hails from Richmond VA and is without a doubt one of the most talented performers Swamp Dogg has worked with and produced. This terrific album includes great cover songs of “People Get Ready”, "If I Had A Hammer" and “Proud Mary”, along with originals penned by The Dogg. The album art is a beautiful psychedelic illustration reminiscent of the 70’s.

LINER NOTES BY SWAMP DOGG

Circa 9:00 p.m. last night I ate an entire slab of ribs. I went to bed immediately thereafter. Circa 2:00 a.m., I woke up craving chocolate anything, and I remembered that I had half of a chocolate “motherlode” cake in the refrigerator that I brought home from Claim Jumpers. I took it in my bedroom and ate it all as I watched Cindy Crawford brainwash some booger bears with the dream of looking like her in ten days. Right!

I’m sitting here with a stomach ache and diarrhea, trying to adhere to a request from Alive Records to deliver some liner notes on Wolfmoon. I guess this is a good time to write them because he made me sick on my stomach many times. Wolfmoon … what can I say about Wolfmoon that hasn’t already been said about Idi Amin. He’s a treacherous, lying, two-faced song thief; with possible cannibal tendencies. With all that said, he was and still may be one of the greatest singers and entertainers that I’ve known in my career. On top of that, he was a drummer’s drummer. He was the best. That’s how I fell into his trap.

Brooks O’Dell (“Watch Your Step”) brought Little Tommy a/k/a Wolfmoon to Philadelphia from Richmond,Va., in 1964 where I was living, and convinced me that Tommy was the greatest thing since vanilla ice cream. Brooks didn’t have a place to bed him down, so I took this monster into my house under the auspices of becoming his co-manager and co-producer with Brooks. He immediately disrupted my household, and had my wife tearing into my ass every five minutes because this “nigga” wouldn’t make up his bed, clean up his room; wash his dirty dishes, etc. He was sporting some two inch fingernails, which was his excuse for not being able to carry his load as a non paying roomer and boarder. He would leave his dirty drawers and other soiled wearing apparel in our basket for us to wash.

I rehearsed Tommy on two original songs, “I’m Hurt” b/w “ L-O-V-E”. Yvonne gave me the money on her payday so I could go in the studio with him. Immediately after I recorded him, he went back to Richmond, Va., with my masters faster than the Roadrunner. He immediately formed an alliance with a local record man who called himself Mr. Wiggles and released my masters. When I called him about my songs he threatened to do me some bodily harm. He had a reputation, so I chalked it up as “dues.” I saw Wiggles three years ago in D.C., and he was getting over some strokes, heart attacks, hobbling with a cane and using a golf cart. God bless him.

Now I’m in New York, circa 1969, Mr. Tyrone “Little Tommy” Thomas comes knocking. I had my first big deal with Canyon records. I had put Tommy’s shit out of my mind and resigned him. This album is the new baby we gave birth too. I changed his name to Wolfmoon so he could fit right into the Swamp Dogg, Raw Spitt genre that I was creating. Each album had a theme. Wolfmoon’s was more spiritual with gospel/r’n’b laden rhythm tracks. Canyon went out of business; Capitol bought it for their Tower Record label, then later reneged on the deal but never asked for the money back. That made it a hit in my book because Wally Roker, owner of Canyon paid for the initial recording in Macon, Ga.

Around 1973 BASF records called and wanted me to form a label for them to distribute. Now Wolfmoon is on Fungus records and I got paid again. Now we’re at Alive records … need I say more? In retrospect, this is the biggest hit I’ve ever had.

In 1974, Charlie Whitehead a/k/a Raw Spitt caught a hit on Island records with “Love Being Your Fool.” Wolfmoon becomes Charlie’s drummer and band leader; a good harmonious pairing. As Swamp Dogg, I played some gigs using the same band but Wolfmoon would always play my material his way. He’d say things like “you’re singing it too slow or too fast.” I’d call a song different from the lineup and he’d play the one in the lineup while saying things like “the people don’t want to hear that shit.” A couple of shows right before I fired his ass in Kansas City, I was singing my little hit “Mama’s Baby Daddy’s Maybe” and he took it upon himself to end my song while I was still singing. He said it was too long and he could see that I was boring the audience. I had him working with Doris Duke and Sandra Phillips whom he didn’t give any problems; and Doris had some coming, but that’s a different color bird.

About ten years ago, Tommy sent me a video and some new material. He wanted to be resigned. I never watched the video nor did I listen to his tape. He sings so goddamn great, I did not want to fall in love with his shit and open a new can of worms.

This album is timelier today than it was in ‘69. Forget the taste I have in my mouth and listen to a bad motherfucker sing some great Swamp Dogg songs.
Via footnote … he’s lost his sight. – SWAMP DOGG